Good-bye
by horse-crazy girl13
Summary: Bullying is a serious thing. It's not a joke. I know this, my friends know this, Annabeth and the rest of Camp Half-Blood know this, and I hope you know this too. This is what can happen to the people who are bullied. This is what Annabeth thought after her sister killed herself. I wrote this based on experience. One-shot.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey. I really hate all of those stupid bullies at school. I know it my heart that I am a better person than them, but you know what they say. Sticks and stones break your bones... Anywho, I was really bored and feeling kind of low so... yeah, I hope ya like it.**

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**Annabeth**

I hate bullies! They are terrible. They just go around trashing people for the fun of it. Because they think it's so cool.

But it's not. Do they know what they do to these people? Do they know what they feel inside? Do they know that people cut themselves, because it takes away the emotional pain? Do they know what kind of damage they do to these people? And do they know that there are people out there who actually kill themselves because of it? Because the pain is just too much. Because they can't take it anymore.

Well, there are. They do it because it hurts. Because they just want all the sneers and mean words to go away. Because they believe that if they died, nobody would notice, and no one would care.

I cried silently as I walked. I cried my best friend and half-sister, Hope. The girl who killed herself because she was bullied so much at her mortal school.

Everyday, she'd have to go through the tauntings and bullying at school. Everyday she just smiled back and walked on. But everyday it hurt her. It slowly killed her, tore her apart.

Hope was the prettiest girl ever, but they didn't see that. She was so intelligent, but they just assumed she was stupid. And she was so sweet, but they never gave her a chance. She always took things in, but she never let them out. She just held them in, and tried to walk around with her head held high. Until it just became too much for her. And now it's too late for those people to take back what they said to her.

I walked slowly to the fire, where they were about to burn her shroud. Her favorite book lay on top of it. And flying pegasus was embedded on the shroud.

Even though she was an Athena kid, Hope loved the pegasi. She seemed to have a special connection to them. I remembered the countless times that I'd walk in on her murmuring softly to them. I wondered whether she had ever told them about the overwhelming weight she had to carry around.

Everyone stood mournfully around the fire. Malcom was saying a few things and saying good-bye.

After he finished speaking, Chiron turned to me.

"Annabeth, I know that you were close to her. Would you like to say anything?"

I nodded and swallowed the painful lump in my throat.

"Hope was an amazing person. She always tried to see the good in people, even if their was none to be found. She always wanted to help, always wanted to give. She never cared about recieving. She never deserved this. We all loved her. We still do. And we always will. Good-bye, Hope," I managed to choke out before a wave of anguish washed over me.

I felt a pair of strong arms wrap around me. I sobbed into his chest.

"Percy, Hope never deserved this! Never!" I cried. He rubbed my back soothingly.

He tilted my head up and looked me in the eyes, green on gray.

"No, Annabeth. She didn't deserve this. But Hope is in a happier place now. She has reached the Elysium," he whispered, hugging me close.

I watched through blurry eyes as they set the shroud aflame. Smoke rose into the air. And then I heard laughter. A soft, melodic sound that radiated pure happiness.

I gently kissed Percy.

"Your right. She has reached the Elysium."

I stared as the last of the smoke swirled into the air.

Good-bye, Hope.

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**Sorry if it's bad. I just needed to let that out. I wrote that based on experience. I had trouble with suicidal thoughts and cutting myself for a while because of bullying, so I put those feelings into a short little one-shot. I never told anyone about the cutting but when I told my friend, she helped me get through it. If you ever think of suicide or cutting: DON'T! And you can talk to me and PM me. I'd be happy to talk to you. Please REVIEW! It would really make my day! (Even if you're a guest!)**

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	2. Chapter 2

**Hey! Thanks for the wonderful reviews! I hope you like this! REVIEW!**

**SpecialGirlz: What a wonderful idea! I'm doing it right now! Thanks! All credit goes to you for this chapter!**

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**Annabeth**

As I sat on my bed, I stared at the picture on the wall. It was a picture of Hope. It's been almost a week, and already, her absence had spread through the whole camp like a disease. We were all left with heavy hearts.

I stayed in a daze. I did my work, but it was just going through the motions.

At sword fighting today, a beginner camper had even manged to beat me. That's really bad. Chiron had been really worried.

"Annabeth," he had called. I walked to him as if in a trance. He placed a gentle hand on my shoulder.

"I know it's hard. But Hope wouldn't want you to mourn over her. She loved you," he said softly.

"I should have been there to stop her! I should have known something was wrong!" I yelled. Yeah, my emotions haven't really been under control.

Chiron grasped me firmly.

"Annabeth, listen. Hope was good at acting. There was no way you could have known something was wrong, unless she had told you. It's just survivor's guilt."

I shrugged out of his arms.

"Survivor's guilt or not, that doesn't change that she's gone!" I screamed kind of hysterically.

"Ann-" he started to call, but I had already run off.

And now, here I was in my cabin staring at Hope's smiling face. And staring, and staring, and staring.

Then a shadow stirred. I didn't even flinch. I didn't care. But I was kind of surprised that he of all people would be visiting me.

"Hey, Annabeth," he said, his voice uncharacteristically gentle.

I looked up.

"Nico," I whispered hoarsely.

My eyes locked with his. And I knew he understood. I could see the pain of loosing his sister still stirring in his eyes. I can see that he still somehow blamed himself. And I could see that we had so much more in common now.

"Come with me. I want to show you something." He held out his hand. I only hesitated for a second, then I reached out.

For a few seconds, all I could see was darkness and shadows all around me. I could hear faint whispering, and my spine tingled.

But suddenly, I was surrounded by warmth, and I could see grassy fields all around me.

"Nico, where are we?" I asked, puzzled. He gestured for me to look around.

I smelled a very distinct smell. It was the smell of sweet hay, and horses. If I squinted hard enough, I could just barely make out a stable.

A weight seemed to drop on my heart as I thought about how much Hope would love it here. Tears came to my eyes.

Nico shook my should gently.

"Annabeth, look," he pointed.

In the distance, I could see a figure coming towards quite fast. I realized the person was on horseback.

"Nico...?"

He shook his head. "Just watch."

The dappled-gray horse was galloping and I heard the rider laugh with joy. I couldn't quite see the rider's face. I remembered that Hope had had a favorite horse at camp. And that horse had been a dappled gray. I felt like I should be catching on to something, but my mind just couldn't quite grasp it.

The pain of losing my little half-sister weighed down on me more and more, and I found myself getting angry at Nico.

"Why would you bring me here? I don't want to be here. Take me back! Now."

He just shook his head.

I looked down, blinking tears back. I couldn't bear to see this person so happy riding a horse, after knowing that Hope would never be able to ride again. It just wasn't fair!

I was aware of the horse and rider getting closer, until suddenly the sound of hoofbeats stopped. Right in front of me.

I still didn't look up.

"Annabeth," the voice said softly.

I took a sharp intake of breath. The voice was soft and melodic. So much like... Hope's. But it couldn't be her. She was dead.

"Annabeth, look up," the voice ordered.

And I did. I looked up to see gray eyes piercing into mine. They were full of love and happiness, but also a little bit of sadness.

"Hope," I said in wonder. "But how...?"

She smiled. "Jeez, Annabeth, you're a daughter of Athena! Where do you think we are?"

I racked my brain but came up empty, which kinda humiliated me because I felt like I really should know where I was.

"Um, a stable?" I said.

She rolled her eyes. Just like old times.

"Oh, come on! Think a little harder!"

And so I did. We were obviously in a field next to a stable, and I knew for a fact that Hope was dead. But wait, Nico is the son of the god of the Underworld. Then it hit me.

_"Hope is in a happier place now," Percy had said. "She has reached the Elysium."_

Wait, so that means...

Hope smiled and nodded as though she knew what I was thinking. And maybe she did.

"Yup, we're in Elysium!" she said.

My eyes were wide. "But wait, what? I mean how..?"

"Annabeth, after the Titan war, Dad granted me the permission to visit anywhere I wanted in the Underworld. Well, not Tartarus, but you know what I mean. I'm allowed to visit the Elysium, the Fields of Asphodel, or the Fields of Punishment. I found your sister here," Nico explained.

I looked at Hope. She looked radiant. So happy. But I could still see a tinge of sadness in her eyes.

Then I asked a question that I've been asking myself since the day Hope took her life.

"Hope, why did you do it? I mean, I get that you were bullied, but we at Camp Half-Blood love you! It kills us not to have you with us," I said, my eyes welling with tears.

The sadness in her eyes became more pronounced.

She reached out to put her hand on my shoulder, but it just felt like a soft breeze. She didn't have a solid form.

"I'm so sorry, Annabeth. But I really couldn't take it. It wasn't just the mean things they said to me. The girl who bullied me, Kelci, had been my best mortal friend. And then she changed and became this horrible person. I didn't even know who she was anymore. And she made everyone turn on me. I could live with bad things being said to me, but I couldn't live with knowing that everyday, I'd have to go to school and see all of their faces. With knowing that I would never truly be able to break free. Annabeth, I'm so sorry."

I sat down on the ground and wrapped my arms around my legs. This was all too much. Silent tears streamed down my face.

I noticed that Nico was nowhere to be seen. He gave us our privacy. I'd have to thank him for that.

I just sat there, crying and trying to process all this. We stayed with each other for I don't know how long.

Finally, when I had seemed to calm down, Hope said, "Annabeth, you will have to leave soon."

I looked up. "No! I want to stay here! I don't want to leave you again! I can't survive another good-bye!"

Her eyes were so gentle. "I know, but it will all work out in the end. But before you leave, I need to talk to you about something else."

"Anything," I said, wanting to stall as much as possible.

"Nico told me how you've been holding up, and from what he's told me, you're not. I know it's hard, but please don't mope around. Go on a quest! Or better yet, go on a date with Percy. When I took my life, I didn't want you to mope around and become so lifeless. I know that you forget me, nor will I forget you, but you'll have to move on sometime. I didn't want you to become this!"

"Easy for you to say," I muttered.

"No, it's not, actually." She touched my cheek. Or tried to. "I love you, Annabeth. And remember what I said. Hang out with Percy! With any luck, there might actually be a mini you or Percy running around someday! Maybe even both!"

I blushed. I also felt a bit of the annoyance that Hope had always managed to make me feel. Just for a moment, it felt like old times.

She chuckled at my expression.

"You must go now, Annabeth. I loved you, Annabeth. I still do. And I always will." I felt more tears well up at the phrase I had used when we burnt her shroud.

Nico suddenly appeared at my side. He touched my hand, and instead of instant blackness, everything slowly faded, like a dream.

"I love you too, Hope. Good-bye," I said.

She laughed her soft, melodic laugh.

"I'll see you again," she promised, her voice sounding far away. "This isn't really good-bye"

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**I hope that wasn't bad! Did you like it? I'm sorry if it was too mushy, but... yeah. So, I'll try to update a few of my other stories but I've been extremely busy. Sorry about that! Also, now that I think about it, should I make a short little epilogue to go with this? Oh and my real name for this story. :)Tell me! Thanks and REVIEW! (Even if you're a guest!)**


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